The BoDeans are a rock & roll band formed in Waukesha, WI, by singer/songwriters and guitarists
Sammy Llanas and
Kurt Neumann, who had played together since high school, along with a rhythm section of bassist
Bob Griffin and drummer
Guy Hoffman. The quartet signed to Slash Records (manufactured and distributed by Warner Bros.) and released its first album, the critically well-accepted Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams (the title comes from a line in the
Rolling Stones song "Shattered") in 1986. Outside Looking In (1987), produced by
Talking Head and Wisconsin native
Jerry Harrison, saw the band reduced to a trio with the departure of
Hoffman. It broke into the Top 100 best-sellers, as
The BoDeans toured with
U2, appeared on
Robbie Robertson's self-titled debut solo album, and were named Best New Band in
Rolling Stone magazine. By the time of the release of the third album, Home (1989),
Michael Ramos (keyboards) and
Danny Gayol (drums) had joined. This lineup stayed intact for the release of Black and White (1991), but
The BoDeans were drummerless again as of the release of Go Slow Down (1993). Following the release of the 1995 live double album Joe Dirt Car,
The BoDeans returned in 1996 with Blend. Around the time of Blend's release, "Closer to Free," a song taken from Go Slow Down, became a hit, thanks to its exposure as the theme song for the popular television show Party of Five. Eight years later, the band made its Zoe debut with Resolution. In 2005,
The BoDeans released Homebrewed: Live from the Pabst on the Back Porch Records label.
Griffin left the group in 2006 and was replaced by
Eric Holden. Still arrived in 2008. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
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Still
Best of Bodeans: Slash & Burn